The mother of a 17-year-old Weslaco High School cheerleader who died last fall spoke to the public on Wednesday after a wrongful death lawsuit was filed against an energy drink distributor.

Attorneys for Larissa Rodriguez's family say she died from an enlarged heart due to stress and a large amount of caffeine.

"Never would I think that I would be in this situation, that my family would be in this situation," Alicia Rodriguez said. “This is the hardest thing that I've ever gone through in my life.”

Rodriguez passed away on Monday, Oct. 20, 2025, according to her obituary. At the time, a cause of death was not made public. 

READ MORE: ‘She’s leaving a lot of shattered hearts:’ Community mourning death of Weslaco High School cheerleader

The lawsuit targets Glazer's Beer and Beverage and Glazer's Beer and Beverage of Texas. The suit accuses their energy drinks of contributing to Rodriguez's death.

The lawsuit centers around the Alani energy drink, and claims that the drink contains double the maximum daily amount of caffeine recommended for teenagers, and undisclosed amounts of stimulants that may cause cardiac arrhythmia, cardiomyopathy, or death, particularly in minors, according to the lawsuit.

The lawsuit accuses Alani distributors of selling "dangerously formulated and inadequately labeled” energy drinks that contributed to Larissa’s death.

No drugs or alcohol were found in Larissa’s system. Attorneys say Larissa had no prior medical history and no known family history of heart conditions.

"The medical examiner did 100 different tests, all negative, and the only finding was caffeine and the heart swollen," attorney Benny Agosto Jr. said.

The lawsuit says each can of Alani contains as much caffeine as two to two and a half cups of coffee, more than what the FDA says is recommended for teenagers.

"She drank one on Friday. She drank one on Saturday. She drank one on Sunday. I have a picture of her on Sunday after homecoming in the morning drinking her energy drink with half a bagel, cream cheese, turkey, bacon," Rodriguez said.

A can of the drink shows a warning on the side saying it's not recommended for children, people sensitive to caffeine, and pregnant or nursing women.

The family's legal team claims the drink was marketed to young consumers without clear warnings about the risks.

The lawsuit could seek damages of more than $1 million. That amount could increase as the case moves forward.

"I know that there were a lot of people that did want to know what happened. And when we talked to our attorney, he said, 'In the spirit of Larissa and of what you do, this is also advocacy,'" Rodriguez said.

Channel 5 News reached out to the distributors for comment. They have not responded.

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